Top-billed for the second time after moving from Warners, M-G-M was still figuring out what to do with a very young Lana Turner, not yet 20. Musicals? Not how we think of Lana now, but she made her share. Did her own singing, too. This backstager, a programmer from megger S. Sylvan Simon (say it three times fast), skimps on connective tissue to squeeze in pots of plot along with a few numbers in just 73 minutes. Turner’s kid sister to Joan Blondell, small-town dance tutor engaged to hoofer George Murphy. Going on an amateurs radio show, Murphy scores a big break in the Big Apple, then parlays his win into a gig in a revue and an invite to bring out the girls. (Not the most believable moment in the pic.) Only problem, longtime fiancée Blondell is strictly smalltime while Turner outshines her professionally (Blondell okay with that) and personally (tougher to swallow). For Blondell, this offers an orgy of self-effacing renunciation; for Murphy, two neat dance routines and an orgy of apologies; for Turner, a chance to show off some nice moves on-stage and the buoyant looks and personality she had before M-G-M lacquered on the hard-shell surface. Blondell, as so often, managing to layer in a bit of real sentiment between the formula moves. Plus, standout lighting from DP George Folsey.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: The big turntable stage set that shows up for this little film’s one big number is yet another outing for the mammoth circular staircase set originally built for THE GREAT ZIEGFELD/’36. It was next seen on screen, again with Turner, in next year’s ZIEGFELD GIRL/’41 where Turner had to share it with Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland. Worse yet, dropping down to fourth-billed on that A-list pic.
1 comment:
An enjoyable film, obviously a programmer but elevated by the pros like Murphy and Blondell, who adds depth on the emotional scale as noted (Wallace Ford also nice as a B'way wag taken by her). Great catch on the reused set - I wondered how they could have built such an elaborate Busby Berkeley-like edifice for a modest film like this one.
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